blood-wit

plural blood-wits

1. alternativeAlternative form of blood-wite.

   A murderer was banished for three years and had to pay a heavy fine in cowries and cattle, not as a blood-wit to the family of the victim, but to appease the Earth and the other local divinities, who had been offended by the sight of spilt blood.

   1918, James George Frazer, Folk-Lore In The Old Testament, volume 1, page 85

   1 more example

   I told him all my past from first to last; and he was concerned on my account and said, "O youth, disclose not thy secret to any: the King of this city is the greatest enemy thy father hath, and there is blood-wit between them and thou hast cause to fear for thy life."

   1885–1888, Richard F[rancis] Burton, transl. and editor, “Night 12”, in A Plain and Literal Translation of the Arabian Nights’ Entertainments, now Entituled The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night […], Shammar edition, volume (please specify the volume), [London]: […] Burton Club […], →OCLC